Misery Dungeon
by Burningsarcasm
Summary: A new disease has ravaged the pokemon continent, leaving the guild members across the land overwhelmed and dying at every turn. No one knows how it started, yet they all remember the legends of Ninetales and their deadly curses... T for grimdark content and violence.


_This story is actually based off of a drawing I did a few years back. I've had this idea in my head now for a looooong time. This takes place in the Mystery Dungeon series (no specific time era, as I am incorporating a storyline of my own). The word count for this story will be about 3,000-3,500 words a chapter, so expect nice long chapters! I also apologies if one of the pokemon know a move they aren't supposed to (especially Rao). All I __know is Ninetales know some psychic moves. _

* * *

Mt. Bristle was strangely quiet as a massive, broad-shouldered Luxray ran alongside a lithe Ninetales, their paws drumming the ground quickly. The Ninetales pulled ahead of the Luxray, and she heard a small scuffling sound.

_Spinerak._

The fox pokemon leaped over the spider, and she knew all was well as a loud crunch echoed off the walls. Her partner sped up and was soon by her side again, only to pull farther ahead.

_Machop._

The fighting-type pokemon was lifted unceremoniously in the air, the lion pokemon snarling and leaping up into it, claws crackling with electricity as he slashed at the throat, using the body as leverage to leap farther, once again ahead of the Ninetales.

_Snagglerock is in the room to the left._

The Luxray snorted and darted in, the Ninetales following him closely.

And as soon as they both set paw into the middle of the room, countless pokemon ambushed them, the room filled with enemies.

_How did this happen. I should have sensed this._

But this was different. These pokemon were not moving. In fact, they reeked of disease- every body was an indiscernible pile of rot. Had Team Vell arrived here first, and decided to leave a nasty surprised? But that couldn't be- she could still sense Snagglerock in the room somewhere. She crept among the bodies, checking to see if her partner was alright. He was covered in gunk, a pokemon (presumably Muk) had fallen on him.

_Disgusting._

She hugged her tails close to her stomach, her red eye scanning the area.

"Watch out," `The Luxray casually warned, and she leapt out of the way as a huge Golem attacked her.

Snagglerock.

The kitsune breathed and turned to face Snagglerock, her one red eye gleaming malevolently as claws laced in flame raked at him. The Ninetales didn't expect this to actually kill the outlaw, merely to stall it in hopes that her friend would actually do something about the giant Rock-type viciously attacking her. What actually happened was quite strange- the Golem had shrieked loudly, snarling incoherently as he backed up at the light and fire.

Now that she thought about it, Snagglerock had not made one jeer or yell for assistance since the start, and the fire from her claws brought to light the true appearance of the outlaw.

_How revolting._

The Ninetales easily dodged the Golem's rapid attacks, red eye gleaming ominously and her tails tucked tight into her underbelly. The enemy pokemon's pupils had rolled up into it's head, and it was salivating blood and black ooze. Almost as if it was rotting.

_What a filthy, dirty creature._

The fire-fox let her tails unfurl and spread out, her eye suddenly glowing and the Golem shrieking in pain, frustration, and agony. His wild attacks missed again and again, until the psychic pain stopped and he collapsed to the ground, twitching.

"Collo, now." She said, and suddenly the massive Luxray leapt into action, jaws gaping wide. He crunched onto the exposed head of the rabid Golem, killing it instantly and the pokemon stilling.

"I thought the poster said that Snagglerock was so cunning he almost was a Dark type." She whispered, licking her paw of blood. Her pelt was matted with dried blood and scars, yet her nine tails were still well groomed and unstained by any signs of battle. She folded her tails back under her underbelly, looking over to the Luxray named Collo. The big electric pokemon was filthier than the fox, his star-tipped tail lashing angrily.

"Not quite, it seems." He replied.

"We should head back. I hear there are new recruits." Rao said, her voice so quiet it almost was inaudible.

"Snagglerock won't be the last." Collo reminded, and the fox blinked slowly, murmuring,

"I know he won't."

* * *

Anu awoke in the morning being howled at to get off of his sorry ass and to wake up. He was quite stunned into silence for a moment, until the Skitty beside him yelped and woke up, her fur bristling indignantly at how rudely they were awoken from their sleep. He was wondering himself why in the world this pokemon woke him up and where he was, until excitement flooded his whole system and he remembered...

They had joined Wigglytuff's Guild! They had christened themselves as Team Agility, as they would be able to leap over any obstacle, he was sure. He remembered being identified on the (at the time) ominous grate, watching as his feline companion ran up alongside him, how they were going to be a team and hunt for riches across the sea and helping all those in need of a hero. He had always thought himself unable to join such a place because, regardless if he was able to fend off bullies, he wasn't too exceptional. Until Dren (the Skitty) had finally pointed out that he would have her, and that he was a Riolu. He didn't know what that meant at first, being a Riolu, until Dren had gently reminded him that many lucarios had done great things in the guild.

He knew this now, which was why whenever in doubt of his capabilities he would remind himself of those facts, and the great Lucarios across Pokemon history- including Ret the Pathmaker, a famous map-maker, Grell Ambridgous, the famous war general and strategist, as well as Anubis- the one so intelligent and famous that he had immortalized himself in the human history as a god. That was why-

"Anu, hurry it up, we're late!" hissed Dren, batting at him with her tail as she darted outside. "You had a nightmare by the way!" She called over her shoulder.

Nightmare? Oh, ya. Whatever, it wasn't important.

Anu yelled for her to wait up as he scrambled over to her, running by her side as he skidded into place among the fellow Guild members, albeit not too discreetly. Dren had a disarming and innocent smile plastered on her face as Chatot looked cynically down on them. Anu finished up the chant with an enthusiastic (and slightly embarrassed),

"SMILES GO FOR MILES!"

And prayed to Arceus they wouldn't be punished for their lateness. As everyone dispersed to go about their daily duties, a sudden realization hit Anu like a ton of Geodudes- he had no idea what he was supposed to do. And, by the looks of it, neither did Dren as her smile slipped off her face to be replaced with a very confused expression. It soon became apparent at their new-ness as everyone had left to go do their duties, leaving Dren and Anu standing awkwardly next to each-other looking hopelessly lost. Anu decided to follow where most other pokemon were heading off to.

Besides, he was really hoping he would see Team Silence.

"You! Where are you guys going off to!" barked the shrill voice of Chatot, the right-winged man of the eccentric (and slightly lazy) Wigglytuff.

The jackal pokemon looked expectantly at Dren. In the face of an authority figure, he had always relied on Dren to charm their way out of trouble with her innocent expression, and in return he had agreed to sort of protect her. Dren had always been quite eloquent, unlike Anu. The Skitty gave a nervous flick of her tail before saying,

"We're the new recruits."

Realization dawned on the Chatot's face and then his strict demeanor did a complete one-eighty as he turned very cheerful and chirped in a sing-song voice,

"Ooooh! Yes, yes, yes, I'll show you what to do! Come with me, please!"

Anu was taken aback slightly at the sudden flip in personality and speaking style, but was able to get over it quickly enough to follow the parrot pokemon as he flew up the ladder. As he climbed up the ladder, he could hear Dren grumbling about how much of a hassle it was to climb the ladder with four legs and no opposable thumbs. As soon as they reached where they wanted to go, Chatot landed.

"Woah!" Anu breathed.

The whole room was filled with pokemon in front of posters, chattering about what job they would take and their plans of action. Something filled him with hope when he saw three Mightyena's decide on taking on a thief, even though they knew it would be an ambush going in.

Chatot surveyed the room until he saw a Linoon and Electivire, chirping,

"Bagder! Wire! Come show the new recruits the basics please!"

They nodded, and the Linoon scuffled up to them, looking grumpy, along with his Electivire companion. Chatot flew back down to Wigglytuff's chambers after a brief look.

"We're Team Puff." Bagder the Linoon said curtly.

Anu was pretty sure that he was probably never going to take these guys seriously with a name like that, but Wire must have caught the look in his eye because he said,

"Look, you may think we're weak, but I'll have you know that Team Puff are particularly good finders. Team Vell and Team Silence may be the big outlaw-hunters here, but helping pokemon find treasures is very important as well."

Dren looked confused, but Anu bristled in sheer excitement. Team Vell and Team Silence... He still couldn't believe he would probably meet them in person! They exchanged a look, before Dren flicked her pink tail as she asked,

"Team Silence? Team Vell? Who are they?"

Team Puff and Anu looked shocked, and Wire was the first to regain his senses as he explained, motioning to a Skarmory and a Seviper together, surrounded by pokemon asking of how they defeated this, or that, (or how they managed to get through this Mystery Dungeon) and so on. They looked like very authoritive figures, who were as heroic-looking as Anu expected.

"If you haven't noticed yet, there are two boards. One for finding lost treasures, another for wanted outlaws (Which had strangely few wanted posters). Team Vell and Team Silence ("more like Team Massacre," muttered Bagder) are both strictly outlaw-only teams. They both have incredible rivalry, and both have commited extraordinary feats."

"Yes!" breathed Anu, eyes shining. "Team Vell actually stands for 'Venom Bell', and they compose of a Seviper- his name is Repiv, and a Skarmory, his name is Strom. They are famous for taking down the famous outlaw Riptooth the Houndoom, and for taking down the rest of the Sableye during the Time Crisis, and so much more!

"Team Silence is composed of a Luxray- his name is Collo, and a Ninetales, her name is Rao. The reason they are called 'Silence' is because they have been known for using subtlety and leaving without a trace! They are famous for taking out the mass murderer Gira the Ghastly, the enemy of Time Duskclops, for passing Groudon, for-"

Dren cut him off, saying amusedly,"I think it's clear who you favor, Anu..."

Wire looked nervous, saying,

"Look, kid, Team Silence..."

Anu looked extremely hopeful, until suddenly the bustling and chattering of the Pokemon grew quiet, until no sound was heard at all.

Dren yelped as a massive Luxray thudded to the ground, star-tipped tail lashing from side to side. He was in a semi-crouched position in order to absorb the impact, and dust had only just settled by his black paws when a lithe looking Ninetales dropped to the ground beside him. With her arrival, not a single sound or particle of dust had risen from the earth.

"Team Silence..." whispered Anu in absolute awe.

* * *

Dren watched as a Ninetales and a Luxray landed on the ground, and only just hear Anu whisper in abolute respect and awe,

"Team Silence..."

In the Skitty's opinion, she did not like the looks of these Pokemon at all. She could feel it around this room- they inspired fear as well as respect. But why? From the way Anu spoke about them they should have been crowded by pokemon who should be asking about their latest feat, not looking at them in near-mortification. But in a way, she could almost see why.

The Luxray, presumably Collo was a massive, intimidating pokemon with a massive scar on his flank and shoulder. His left ear had been semingly bitten off. Given his size and appearence, Dren expected brutish stupidity- but in his eyes she only saw sheer intelligence and a tinge of contempt. The electric pokemon commanded absolute respect, and pokemon shrunk under the sight of Collo. After getting over her own fear, Dren was able to deduce that Collo had the ability of intimidation, however even without it she was sure he would be frightening all the same.

Standing close by him was a beautiful-looking Ninetales, presumably Rao. Unlike her partner, who looked physically powerful, the fox pokemon looked very lithe and slim. And even though she dwarfed next to the Luxray, Collo being twice her size, she held herself next to him as his equal, maybe even his superior, and thus commanded the same respect and attention Collo drew about himself. And also unlike her partner, who's eyes were filled with fierce intelligence and power, her red-eyed expression was perfectly blank. The two pokemon could not have been more different from eachother, yet they complemented one other perfectly. Rao stepped in front of Collo, and turned her head around to survey the room.

"Oh..." Dren quietly gasped.

She had been wrong about Rao's seemingly flawless appearence. Very wrong. Now that Collo was not blocking the view of the Ninetales, Dren could see her for what she truly looked like, and she could hear Anu's breath hitch in his throat.

Rao's pelt was littered with small scars, as any pokemon in here, but the one outstanding scar was on her face. An 'X' shaped scar marked where her left eye should have been, the scar standing out on the whole right side of her face and one end even stretched down to a bit of neck. What was peculiar, however, was that even though Rao's coat was littered in small scars, her tails were in perfect condition. Groomed to perfection, with not a single scar or any unappealing image on her tails at all. She now noticed that her tails were being tucked into her underbelly, as if in submission- though Dren knew that it couldn't be farther from the truth.

Rao then went up, examined the outlaw posters, and took 5-including the one the Mightyena were going to take, and started to leave. Despite the low hissing of Repiv, and the grumblings of Strom, no one dared stop them. It became clear then who the dominant Team was in the rivalry of Team Silence and Vell. At the Mightyenas' crestfallen appearence, Anu seemed to emerge from his horrorfied trance.

"Hey! You can't take that one! That's the Mightyenas'!" He said.

A slow little gasp went through the room, until more silence filled the room. Dren looked at Anu in surprise, begging him with her eyes to back off. These pokemon... something wasn't right about them.

Rao stopped and turned to examine Anu, before Collo abruptly said,

"You are the new recruits."

Rao blinked lazily, and Collo added after cocking his head slightly,

"Team Agility. Anu and Dren. Childhood friends..."

Dren was deeply unnerved. They had not told these Pokemon their names or team name at all. Nor had they spoken of their relationship. Anu at this point was quivering, and he stammered,

"Y-Ya! L-look, I'm a b-big fan and all, and I-I'm sure it was an h-honest m-mistake, but that p-poster, the one with T-Thistlespear, that was the M-Mightyenas."

Team Silence and the rest of the pokemon stared at Anu. Rao and Collo turned to leave, the Luxray in front and the Ninetales following him shortly afterward.

"H-Hey, Rao, wait-"

Anu grabbed gently at the fur of one of Rao's tails.

* * *

Anu wasn't sure what had caused this. But suddenly, with a shriek of unchecked fury, Rao spun on him, tails brandished at him like swords and thrashing around wildly. Her one red eye was widened, rage flooding the normally blank expression. She continued to roar and shriek wildly at him, and despair, agony, and hopelessness suddenly entered Anu's body, causing him to whimper and sink to the ground in a pathetic ball. Memories flooded his mind, only to be replaced with darker, evil, sadder ones. It was horrible... so horrible... Anu had no idea... no idea how long the torture went on. All he felt was despair, sickness, pain... All he knew of the outside was the hot breath and wild shrieks of the Ninetales above him, the ravaging of his mind from some malevolent psychic force, the screams of the other pokemon.

"Anu? Hey, Anu! ANU!" A slap across the face brought the Riolu back into reality, and he realized where he was.

Rao was not there. Neither was Collo. Instead, when he looked around he was in the middle of the room in a pathetic ball, with all the other pokemon looking at him strangely and with concern, Dren's paw on his shoulder as she helped him stand.

"What happened? When you touched Rao, she kind of turned on you for a second, her tails waving around and all that. I think she might have been angry with how you touched her tail- Ninetales are really picky about that stuff- but she must have realized you were new here. All you did was stand there, glassy-eyed. At one point you kind of sank to the floor and curled up. Are you sure you are alright?"

_You must never tell._

"Oh, I'm sorry..." The Riolu said, coming up with something on the spur of the moment. "I had a pretty bad nightmare last night you said, right? I think the lack of sleep got to me or something, I fell out of it..."

It was lame, and he knew it. He had never been able to fool Dren.

Dren looked very unconvinced, giving him the 'we will talk about this later' look as she nudged him back to Wire and Bagder, who were nervously continuing on how the guild worked.

Anu, for all of his enthusiasm in the morning, didn't pay attention to half of it.

**Thank you for reading! if you haven't guessed by now, this is going to be a very dark story, Dark enough to be borderline-creepypasta. I would also like you revise the plot I am devising, because I'm not sure if this has been done before, and if its a cliche plot. Anyways, remember to review please!**


End file.
